1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to seal pullers. More particularly, the present invention relates to sliding hammer type devices for removing oil seals from vehicle drive line components.
2. Description of the Related Art
Seal pullers are widely used to service vehicle drive line components. Many seal applications require a special tool for a specific model of a vehicle, particularly in the case of transmissions. Present seal pullers using sliding hammers tend to be complicated in design and thus are expensive and limited in the range of seal sizes and installations they can service. It would be desirable to provide a simple and effective seal puller design which may be used to pull oil seals in a large variety of applications while avoiding damaging the seal housing during the seal pulling process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,460, issued Dec. 15, 1998, to Rasmussen et al., describes a bearing puller having an elongate bolt or rod portion along which a load sleeve is slidingly engaged. An eccentric protrusion is formed at one end for engaging blind press fit bearings for removal.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,380,068, issued Jul. 10, 1945, to Patton describes an oil seal puller having an expansible grip at one end of a shaft which may be expanded to grip the oil seal. Two collars are placed on the shaft between which a hammer slides to assist in the removal of the seal.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,529,497, issued Sep. 22, 1970, to Brooks describes a dowel removing tool having a sliding hammer, a rigid and elongate guide portion, and a tapered impact assembly member.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,368, issued Oct. 12, 1993, to Somerville et al. describes a sliding hammer seal puller having an intricate expandable seal engaging element.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus, an oil seal remover solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The present invention is a sliding hammer type seal puller for removing oil seals from vehicle drive line components. The device comprises a sliding hammer mounted on a steel rod. A handle is mounted at one end of the rod, followed by an impact collar for engagement with the sliding hammer. The other end is flared with a 90-degree bend at the extreme end. In use, the angled end of the seal puller is inserted into the space created between the shaft and the oil seal after the removal of a drive shaft yoke. The angled end of the device is then maneuvered to engage the inside diameter of the seal. Pulling the sliding hammer backwards unseats the seal, which is then easily disengaged and removed from the housing of the drive line assembly component.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a vehicle drive line oil seal puller which is useful for a large variety of oil seal applications.
It is another object of the invention to provide an oil seal puller as above which may easily be operated by a single mechanic.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an oil seal puller as above which is simple in design.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an oil seal puller as above which avoids damage to the seal housing during the pulling operation.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.